The present invention is directed toward guide poles for use with a car wash and, more particularly, toward extendible side guide poles that can automatically be moved into or out of position as needed.
There are currently two principal types of automatic car washing systems in use today. The first involves a series of pieces of equipment arranged along a path and a drive chain, conveyor or the like that pulls or pushes the automobile or other vehicle along the path so as to be acted upon by the various pieces of equipment. The equipment, such as cleaning brushes, liquid applicators, dryers and other cleaning devices, may reciprocate toward and away from the vehicle and into and out of the path of the vehicle but normally are fixed in that they do not travel along with the vehicle. Rather, the vehicle moves past the various pieces of car washing equipment.
The conveyor type of automatic car wash is normally operated by one or more attendants who oversee the movement of the cars into and out of the car wash and through the same. These attendants assist the driver of the vehicle in approaching the entrance of the car wash and properly aligning his or her vehicle so that the same is properly arranged with respect to the conveyor that will convey the vehicle through the car wash.
The second type of automated car wash currently in wide use does not employ a conveyor system. Rather, a driver drives his or her vehicle into a small building or enclosure and the car wash equipment including brushes, liquid applicators, dryers and the like move around the stationary vehicle.
These second types of automated car washes have gained popularity since they require substantially less space than conveyor type systems and normally do not require an attendant. In most cases, a driver approaching the car wash drops coins or a token into a coin box in order to activate the same. Frequently, a green light will then go on instructing the driver to drive into the enclosure. When the car is in its proper position, a red light will tell the driver to stop. At that point, the automated equipment passes around the vehicle washing the same. When the vehicle has been washed, the red light is extinguished and the green light is again lit advising the driver to exit the other end of the building or enclosure.
In order to ensure that the vehicle is properly aligned relative to the car washing equipment within the enclosure, these automated car washes normally include an elongated rail mounted on the floor. However, because there usually are no attendants at the car wash, there is no one to help guide the driver into proper alignment with respect to the rails so that he or she can properly enter the car wash enclosure. As a result, the driver may drive over the rail or drive too far away therefrom. This can cause damage to the vehicle, the guide rails and/or to other parts of the car wash including the car wash equipment.
While it might be possible to erect permanent guides to help guide the driver into the car wash, these permanent guides would then interfere with the moving car wash equipment. This would occur because the guides, in order to be of any use to the driver, must be arranged in the vicinity of the rail and must be at a sufficient vertical level so as to be visible to the driver. Permanent guides are, therefore, not acceptable. There is, however, a need in the art for a way of guiding a driver into an automated car wash.
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of the present invention to provide extendible side guide poles for a car wash that can automatically be moved into or out of position as needed to help guide a vehicle into the car wash.
It is another object of the invention to provide extendible side guide poles for a car wash that will not interfere with the operation of the car wash.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide extendible side guide poles for a car wash that can automatically be moved into or out of position as needed to help guide a vehicle into the car wash and which can easily be installed in an existing car wash with little modification thereto.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided an improved automated car wash of the type wherein a vehicle remains stationary within an enclosure when being washed and the car wash includes washing equipment that moves relative to the vehicle. An elongated rail mounted on the floor defines a path for a vehicle entering the car wash to follow. The driver of the vehicle to be washed is instructed by a signaling system that advises him or her when to drive into the car wash, when to stop and when to exit. The improvement of the invention includes a plurality of extendible elongated guide poles mounted near the floor and adjacent the rails on either side of the vehicle. When the signaling system instructs the driver to enter the car wash, the poles are automatically pivoted upwardly so as to be visible to the driver for assisting the driver in guiding the vehicle into the car wash. When the vehicle is in place in the car wash and the signaling system instructs the driver to stop, the poles are automatically pivoted downwardly into an inoperative position so as not to interfere with the operation of the moving car washing equipment.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings.